Education

The Tapteal Greenway’s educational efforts reach students of all ages. Our earliest educational outreach efforts worked with “at risk youth” in partnership with Columbia Industries and the Volunteer Center. We also offered night hikes through the Richland Community School and “Hikes for Tykes” directly to daycare and pre-school providers, and through Richland Parks and Recreation.

K-12 outreach includes in-class formal presentations, as well as field exploration regarding water quality, macroinvertebrate and salmon studies, and riparian and shrub steppe ecosystems. We service both the public and private sector and can accommodate large school groups accompanied by adult supervision.

In the last 18 years, the Tapteal Greenway has reached more than 10,000 students ages 2-71 with interactive, hands-on exploration of the Yakima River and its environment. We also offer a slideshow about the Greenway for interested clubs and service organizations.

Tapteal has also been a sponsoring partner for the Salmon in the Classroom program put on by the Benton Conservation District. In 2005 Tapteal funded the entire transportation cost to get the students to the Salmon Summit.

We have organized equipment for water quality testing and river keeper activities that can be checked out from the Tapteal Greenway. We have waders and life jackets as well as specific collection tools and plant/animal identification books for use on these field trips.

We have also established a large curriculum for the lower Yakima River that includes lesson plans and activities for environmental education both in the field and in the classroom.

Our annual Wildlands Walk is open to all who can manage a 2 mile walk with frequent stops at education stations. Check the Tapteal Greenway calendar in the month of May for the next walk.

If you would like a presentation about our organization, a boy/girl scout group activity, a church group field trip, a classroom visit or field trips please contact us.